The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-07-03
THE DECLARATIN OF INpEPENDENCE
An ELOQUENT Passae from a Lincoln Speech
IN the Lincoh-Douelas Contest

An ELOQUENT Passae from a Lincoln Speech
In the Lincoh Douglas Contest.
July Century.
1.-THE DeclarationJf Independence was formed
by the Representatives of American iloerty from
thirteen States OF the Confederacy, twelve OF
which slavaolding communities We
need not discuss tls way or the reason or their
becoming slavehqaing communities 1t is sui
ficent for our purose that all of them greatly
deplored the evil nd that they placed a provis-
ion in the Constitution which they supposed
would gradually fmove the disease by cutting
off its source. It's was the abolition of the
slave trade. So aneral was the conviction. the
public determination, to abolish the African
slave trade, tharhe provision which have re-
ferred to IS being placed in the Con-
stitusion declaed that it should not be abol~
ished prior o the year 1908 A con-
stitutiona psosision was necessary to prevent
the people, Trough Congress, from putting
stop to the tnfic Immediately at the close OF the
war. Now f slavery had been good thing.
would the fithArs OF the Republic have taken
step calcu lated to diminish it's benefcent infiu~
ences among themselves, and snatch the boon
wholly from AeIr posterity2 These communi-
ties, by their representatives in old Independ-
ence Hail. saiGto the whole world OF men: we
hold these truths to be self-evdent-that all men
created eg,al: that they endowed by
their creator with certain inalienable rights;
that among thse are life, liberty and the pur-
suit of HAPPINESS This their majestic in
depreciation Il the economy of the universe.
This was theit lofty, and wise. and noble under
standing of tie justice OF the Creator to his
creatures. Tes gentlemen, to all his creatures,
to the whob great family Of man. In their en-
lightened ielief, nothing stamped with the di-
to be trodtsn on, and degraded and i'm bruted by
its felowI They grasped not only the whole
of nan then living, but they reached for
ward andseized upon the furthest posterity.
They erected q beacon to guide their children,
and theirchildren's children. and the countless
myriads who should inhabit the earth
in other ages. Wise statesmen they
were, they knew the tendency of pros
perity to breed tyrants, and SO they established
these great self-evident truths. that when in the
distant future some man, some faction, some in
terest should set up the doctrine that none but
rich men. or none but white men, none but
Anglo-Saxon white men, were entitled to life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness. their pos
terity night look up again to the Declaration Of
Independence and take courage to the
battle which their fathers began. that truth,
and justice. and mercy and all the humane and
Christian virtues might not be extinguished from
the lard; SO that no man would hereafter dare to
limit and circumscribe the great principles on
which the temple of liberty was being built.
Nov, my countrymen, if you have been
taught doctrines conflicting with the great land
marks of the Declaration of Independence; il
you have listened to suggestions which would
take away from its grandeur, and mutilate the
fair symmetry of its proportions: if you have
been inclined to believe that all men not cre-
ated equal in those inalienable rights enumerat-
ed BY our chart of liberty, let me eptreat you to
come back. Return to the fountain whose
waters spring close by the blood of the
Revolution Think nothing of me-take
ho shousus VI tH0 pOilbical rate OF any
man whomsoever-but come back to the truths
that are in the Declaration of Independence
You may do anything with me you chose, if you
will but heed these sacred principles. You may
not only defeat me for the Senate, but YOU may
take me and put me death While pretend
ing no indifference to earthly honors. do claim
to be actuated in this contest by something
higher than an anxiety for Office. I charge WOW
to drop every paltry and Insignificant thought
for any mars success 1t is nothing: am moth.
ing; Judge Douglas is nothing. But do not de-
stroy that immortal emblem of humanity-tha
Declaration of American Independence"